The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-23
TEMPERANCE.
Coughs Monument.

John B. Cough requested that on his
monument the following sentiment
should be cut, as part Of the inscription:
II can desire nothing better for the
great country than that barrier high as
Heaven should be raised between the un-
polluted lips of the children and the in
toxicating cup; that everywhere men
and women should raise strong aud de-
termincd hands against whatever will
defle the body, pollute the mind or
harden the heart against God and his
truth"
This sentence has been duly added to
the stone.
Early English Temperance Laws.
The most stringent laws we have had
passed were those Of James l., which may
almost be called the first piece Of temper.
ance legislation, for, though the act Of
Edward Nv. gave power to the justices to
suppress unnecessary tippling houses it
was chiefly directed against using unlaw.
full games and bound the licensed victual.
lers to keep good order in their houses.
The act in the first year of James was in.
tended to restrain the inordinate haunt
ing and tippling in inns and ale houses.
1t declares the "true use of ale houses "
to be for the relief of wayfarers and not
for the Entertainment of lewd and idle
people. There was to 5s e penalty of to-
shillings for permitting unlawful drink
ing" and all drinking was unlawful ex-
cept by bona fide travellers, by the guests
of travellers and by artisans and laborers
during their dinner hour. The public
house was only to be open to residents in
the locality for one hour in the day for
the consumption of liquor on the prem
ises. This act was made perpetual, with
some notifications intended to render
conviction more easy, in the last parlia'
ment of James. In the first Of
Charles the penalties were some.
what relaxed, but the law could not
be enforced, and, under these stringent
laws, drunkenness increased apace. It
had reached an extraordinary pitch in
1859, when a French Protestant wrote
from London: "There is within this
city and in all the towns of England
which have passed through so prodigi-
Gus number of houses where they sell
q certain drink called ale that I think
good half of the inhabitants may be de-
nominated also house keepers. y
But, what is most deplorable, where
gentlemen sit and spend much of their
time drinking muddy kind of beverage,
and tobacco, which has universally be-
sotted the nation, and at which hear
they have consumed many noble estates.
y And that nothing may be want
ing to the height of luxury and impiety
of this abomination, they have translated
the organs out Of the churches to set
them up in taverns, chanting their dithy-
rambics and bestial bacchanalias to the
tune of those instruments which were
wont to assist them in the celebration of
Gods praises, and regulate the voices of
the worst singers in the world, which
are the English in their churches at
present.-The Contemporary Reoie'o.
Strong Drink and Labor froblem.
The seventh annual report of the New
Jersey Bureau of Statistics Of Labor and
Industries has chapter concerning the
condition of wage. .earners, and how it
can be improved, from which the New
York Independent has collected the fol-
lowing suggestive sentences from letters
of individual workmen and others:
"Whisky and beer are the great OBJ
stacle here.
'Intemperance is the cause of very
much wretchedness in our families.
''The greatest evil is strong drink.
"Our morals here are low on account
of rum.
"The liquor traffic has bad effect on
our trade.
"strong drink injuries great many
of US.
"Morality would be good except for
drunkenness.
"Too large portion of our wages 60
to the sellers of rum and beer.
drunkenness is the bane of the work
ing classes.
"Nauy of our men love beer more than
they do their families.
"Drink is the workingman's curse.
"Tobacco and liquor are great in
jury.
except for beer and whisky we are
very moral.
"Rum does much to lower US.
"Workingmen drink too much for
their own good.
"Rum and beer are our great ene-
mics.
"Our condition is much lower than it
should be. This results principally
from the use of liquor and from igno-
rance.
"Much immorality-whisky is at the